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I have noticed monthly appeals for money, often unnamed bills are mentioned. My site searches have failed to reveal what overheads necessitate $6000 per month of donations.
Some information as to why would be helpful in helping me decide if I wish to donate.
Comments
BCTS is not a one-person operation.
BC is a full-time job for at least two people. That's just full-time, mind: there are others who are employed to various levels to help with things. On top of that, you have things like datacenter space, hardware costs, software, etc.
The folks who work on BC are passionate about it... but it hasn't been a passion project for a long time, and like any business, it requires money to keep going.
Melanie E.
Bills
To start with there is about $1300 for our server colocation space for our main servers. We have about $400 a month for other servers and connectivity solutions.
About $400 a month is for software services, like licenses on our server software and our firewall.
The company pays for our home ISP and phone service too, maybe another $400 for three of us.
Another $200 a month is budgeted for trips to the service center.
But the biggest single expense is that this is the full time job of two people, and a part time job for three others.
One of the full-timers is me and I don't take much out since I have social security. In fact, many months, I put more in than I take out. Over the years, my dollar contribution is close to $100,000. I put in 40 to 60 hours of work on the site per week.
Piper is also full-time and is an IT professional who could be making $20 to $30+ dollars an hour working for someone else and usually puts in 40 to 50 hours a week. Piper's draw is $1900 a month. My draw is $900 (though I often put it back into the company) and Cat's is about the same. Other part-timers are about $400 a month.
We have a loan we took out to buy hardware which will be paid for in another 6 months. We're currently paying over $1000 a month on the loan. I know I'm forgetting stuff.
Does any of that help?
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Totals
1300
400
400
400
20
1900
900
900
400
1000
------
7800
So, that's 7800 dollars in expenses listed right there, and I have no doubt Erin is lowballing on some of the costs.
Kinda makes that 6k not stretch as far as you thought, don't it?
Melanie E.
Good Question
This good question has been asked and answered at least a dozen times over that last three decades.
1.) Erin works for next to nothing.
2.) Piper works for next to nothing.
3.) There are no extraordinary expenses that can be cut.
4.) The problem is inadequate revenue.
5.) A key component of revenue has been contributions.
I wish others would follow my lead and name Erin as a beneficiary on their live insurance. My life insurance is fully funded. Upon my death she will receive $25,000.
I also wish other authors would follow my lead and donate their novels to Doppler Press. All the revenue from my about 20 books on Amazon goes to support this site. This has grown to be a large amount of money.
I've interacted with Erin on hundreds of transactions over the years and find her completely honest. This community is extremely lucky to have her running this site.
Jill
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
Another comment to assist you
Another comment to assist you in your thought process.
How many stories do you read on the site itself? If you assume that a (short) novel has 70,000 words, and costs at least $8, new, how many "books" do you read on the site?
I'm not suggesting that you offer up retail pay for the year. I'm simply saying that even just paying a single lump of $20, or less than 2 dollars a month if averaged out, is less than you'd pay at a bookstore.
You could look at Patreon, and sign up for a very low level donation, continuously. If 3,000 people offered up $2 a month, that'd be the $6,000 that was mentioned - for a site that's been in existence a very long time, and provided content, free, to a tremendous number of people, as well as a site where a lot of marginalized people can vent without fear of being censored. (In my opinion, some _should_ be censored more, and others not as much, but that's MY opinion, and I don't own the site)
I tend to donate a larger lump sum once or twice a year, because for me, I try to do it when it can make a difference - some months, the normal income is adequate. Others, it drops too low.
So, for those people out there - are there 300 people that can pay $20? 3,000 that can pay $2?
It's too bad that so many people that come here are terrified that someone will back-track a money trail to them. If there was a separate (but linked) business that could sell something innocuous at somewhat inflated prices, those folks could buy 'office supplies', support the site, and not really risk being "outed"
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
Gonna Sound Blunt.
BCTS is a safe place to talk about our peculiarities. I am not alone when I say that TG folk, those with PTSD and other things benefilt a lot from having someone to share with. It helps some to withstand Suicidal feelings, though it does not take the place of competent counselling. I don't see what I give as a donation, rather as partial payment for services rendered.
Blessings
Gwen
Stories from 2007
It is amazing to me that my earliest stories on BCTS are still accessible. I can't even begin to think of how much storage this site maintains. AND none of the Authors are asked to pay for it.
Be thankful.
Gwen